Currency of British Columbia

The currency of British Columbia is the BC Pound (symbol: £; ISO 4217 code: BCP), abbreviated with £ or sometimes BC£. One pound is subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviated: s), and one shilling is further subdivided into 12 pence (singular: penny; abbreviated: d).

The BC pound was introduced in 1866 as the currency of the unified Crown Colony of British Columbia.

Amounts of money are written either in a form such as £2.6s.6d (two pound, six shillings and sixpence, commonly read as "two pound six and six"), as 6/2 (six shillings and twopence, commonly read as "six and two") or 3/- (three shillings), or as 3d (threepence, pronounced "threppence").

The pound is colloquially called "quid", and a shilling is colloquially called a "bob". Two shillings is called a "florin", 2/6 is "half a crown", 5s is a "crown". £1.10.- is called "thirty bob". 21s is a "guinea", but this term is used only for lawyers' fees and at auctions.

Banknotes are currently printed in denominations of £5, £10, £25, £50, £100, £500 and £1000. Coins are presently minted in the following denominations: 1d (a penny), 3d ("threppence"), 6d, 1s, 1 florin (2s), half crown (2/6), 1 crown (5/-), £1, £2 and 5 crowns (£2.6s.-). Coins denominated "1 Sovereign" are minted for commemorative issues; one sovereign is equal to one pound.

Current exchange rates with major world currencies are as follows:


 * Australian Dollar: A $1 = BC £1.4s.10d; BC £1 = A $0.81
 * Canadian Dollar: C $1 = BC £1.5s.-; BC £1 = C $0.80
 * Euro: €1 = BC £1.16s.9d; BC £1 = €0.54
 * Japanese Yen: ¥1 = BC 4d ; BC £1 = ¥62
 * Russian Ruble: R 1 = BC 6d ; BC £1 = R 38
 * Swiss Franc: CHF 1 = BC £1.13s.8d; BC £1 = CHF 0.59
 * UK Pound: GB £1 = BC £2.2s.2d; BC £1 = GB £0.47
 * US Dollar: US $1 = BC £1.12s.6d; BC £1 = US £0.62